Tomi Lahren, a conservative firebrand, has reportedly had her show suspended from The Blaze on Monday after sparking a conservative firestorm following an appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Friday, during which she identified as an abortion rights advocate. Lahren’s suspension will be in effect for at least a week.
When asked on “The View” about her stance on reproductive rights, Lahren, who hosts “Tomi” for TheBlaze, said, “I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say, ‘I’m for limited government, but I think the government should decide what women do with their bodies.'”
She added: “I can say, ‘You know what, I’m for limited government, so stay out of my guns, and you can stay out of my body as well.'”
Her comments did not go over well with conservatives, 60% of whom say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
Glenn Beck, the founder of TheBlaze, criticized Lahren for saying she had libertarian views while supporting economic stimulus, President Donald Trump's executive orders, and House Republicans' attempt to overhaul the Affordable Care Act.
Wait, libertarian views? Help me out on Trumpcare, stimulus, and executive orders. Trump is anything but libertarian. #intellectualhonesty https://t.co/jlt5sFvQMP
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) March 20, 2017
Lahren was also slammed by The Reagan Battalion, an anonymous conservative group on Twitter that gained notoriety after posting footage last month of the right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos appearing to condone sexual relationships between "younger boys and older men." Yiannopoulos, who was a senior editor at Breitbart News, resigned shortly after.
Only 3 months ago, @TomiLahren considered an abortion to be murder, today, she branded pro life conservatives as hypocrites. #NoPrinciples pic.twitter.com/8BqoQTOyD1
— Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) March 17, 2017
The Reagan Battalion's tweet pointed to a tweet by Richard Spencer, a white nationalist and leader of the alt-right movement, defending Lahren's position.
Endorsement. https://t.co/Gk4IG8Wi0J
— Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) March 20, 2017
Other conservatives turned on Lahren as well:
Just gonna leave this one here: @TomiLahren, one cannot be conservative and pro-choice. The two are incompatible.
— Brittany Hughes (@RealBrittHughes) March 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/SLVR1981/status/843536750198841345https://twitter.com/TheRealBeatBoss/status/843355476507222016
Lahren later defended herself on Twitter, saying: "I speak my truth. If you don't like it, tough. I will always be honest and stand in my truth."
I speak my truth. If you don't like it, tough. I will always be honest and stand in my truth.
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) March 18, 2017
Kate Scanlon, who writes for TheBlaze, shot back shortly after.
"There is no 'my truth.' There is only the truth," Scanlon tweeted.
Gabby Morrongiello, the White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner, a right-leaning publication, also criticized Lahren.
"'My truth' is the new 'alternative facts,'" Morrongiello tweeted.
But Lahren fired back.
"Listen, I am not glorifying abortion," she tweeted. "I don't personally advocate for it. I just don't think it's the government's place to dictate."
Listen, I am not glorifying abortion. I don't personally advocate for it. I just don't think it's the government's place to dictate. https://t.co/qRjbAtJdo7
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) March 19, 2017
Lahren wields significant influence in conservative circles, particularly on Facebook, where she has over 4 million followers and her videos average about 5 million views.